Aviation workers have called for the exemption of agencies from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy and attendant remittance of 40 per cent of earnings to the Federation Account.
The coalition of workers’ unions at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NUATE, NCAA branch, Dirisu Musa), said the inclusion of the apex regulatory body was in tune with the misunderstanding of the function of the service provider agency.
Similarly, the coalition, spread across the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), made case for the composition of Boards of Directors and implementation of a new Condition of Service (CoS) among other welfare concerns.
The unions’ call for exemption from TSA is coming days after the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance, directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to remit 100 per cent of their internally generated revenue (IGR) to the Sub-Recurrent Account, which is a sub-component of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
The directive, according to the government, is to improve revenue generation, fiscal discipline, accountability, and transparency in the management of government financial resources and prevent waste and inefficiencies.
Chairman of NUATE, NCAA branch, Dirisu Musa, said it is imperative that the NCAA be exempted from the 40 per cent deductions, citing impacts on oversight functions and staff well-being.
Musa said the NCAA is not a revenue generating agency but a cost recovery body, and thus the apex regulator should be eligible for the waiver granted to other government agencies on these deductions.
He said there is a misunderstanding about the functions of the regulatory body and a misnomer for the NCAA to be invited to the National Assembly to defend revenue.
”The NCAA is not a revenue generating agency and what we do is cost recovery. Aeronautical charges all over the whole world is not revenue; it is for the NCAA to run the affairs of the CAA in the interest of safety of flight operations.
“Tell them, they should remove us from the 40 per cent deductions. These deductions have affected our oversight functions and the well-being of our staff. Just as they have done in certain quarters, the NCAA should also be given that waiver.
“If an operator wants to use a simulator facility abroad, they will approach the NCAA and then charge them so that our inspectors can go with the operator. Unfortunately, as soon as the operator pays that money into the TSA, 40 per cent is removed as they consider it as revenue. Please, we are appealing to the Federal Government under President Tinubu to remove the NCAA in the interest of safety and security of flight operations from the TSA.,” Musa said.
The unions also highlighted the crucial role of the Board of Directors (BoDs) and demanded for the urgent composition of boards across aviation agencies.
”The importance of BoDs in the life of parastatals cannot be overemphasised. For instance, in the case of agitation in terms of improvement to promote our industry, it is the function of the Board. The unions don’t need to run to the budget office, ministry of finance, the board members are competent in that area. We are demanding as a matter of urgency that the FG should constitute a board for the NCAA and other agencies in the aviation Industry,” Musa said.
It will be recalled that aviation workers have been angling for CoS review for over 10 years, with a series of negotiations held with various agencies of government.
The unions noted that three circles of revision of the CoS had been lost, without a headway in the bid to adequately cater for the welfare of aviation workers.
